Arcangelo Ambrosi Pipeshttps://www.arcangelo-ambrosi.com
Fine tobacco pipes, handmade in Italy by Arcangelo Ambrosi.Sat, 09 Mar 2019 14:33:29 +0000it-IThourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.42018 updateshttps://www.arcangelo-ambrosi.com/2018-updates/
https://www.arcangelo-ambrosi.com/2018-updates/#commentsThu, 11 Jan 2018 21:19:56 +0000http://www.arcangelo-ambrosi.com/?p=1241 Probably most of you know me for my activity as a pipemaker. The pipe is the object to which I have dedicated myself more in my years of work as a wood craftsman. I consider it a unique mean of expression, always different, intriguing, in which one can infuse his own creativity in a […]

Probably most of you know me for my activity as a pipemaker. The pipe is the object to which I have dedicated myself more in my years of work as a wood craftsman. I consider it a unique mean of expression, always different, intriguing, in which one can infuse his own creativity in a thousand ways and shapes.
Until now, the pipe is the object I have produced to the greatest extent. Today, the idea that the pipes I have made and sold are scattered around the world gives me great satisfaction. The earnings I got thanks to my pipes do not make me a rich guy but they allow me to keep my business “alive” and to continue doing a job that is above all my passion.

Actually, I have always experimented and cultivated interests in many fields, art and crafts in their many forms, allowing them to contaminate and interact with each other. I have always been open to discovery, to artistic growth, to learning new techniques, and in search of collaborations

In particular, along with my work as a pipemaker, I have cultivated another important project, always related to wood working. This one I’m speaking about is a sculpture project, an artistic journey in collaboration with the artist and great friend of mine, Bianca Roselli. Thanks to a strong artistic empathy, we have managed to create works that reflect our visions, in total freedom, without any restrictions of form and ideas, letting ourselves be transported by the thousand possibilities of manipulation that only wood can offer. You can see in the pics below the works we have made since 2015, which have been exhibited on several occasions in artist collectives.

These works have required a large amount of time, lots of research, experimentation, and investments in equipment. We are both focusing really hard on this project, but it requires a lot of energy.

In 2017 the efforts put in this project have inevitably took time away from the production of pipes, and sometimes I happened to be a little late with the commissioned work. Very likely this year the number of pipes I will produce will be lower than that of the previous years. I will try to maintain a certain regularity and optimize my production organization as much as possible, but certainly by this year my pipes will be rarer.

On the base of the experience maturated in 2017 I’ve made an important decision, that is, I will not work on commission (except for those who have booked pipes during the last year).
The pipes that I will be able to produce will be sold, as usual, on my Etsy store, and their availability will be regularly announced on my Facebook and Instagram profiles (especially the latter, since the former has drastically reduced the visibility of my posts).

While I commit myself to continue giving all of my best, as I have always done, I wish a happy 2018 to everyone!

]]>https://www.arcangelo-ambrosi.com/2018-updates/feed/4Five years of pipemakinghttps://www.arcangelo-ambrosi.com/five-years-of-pipemaking/
https://www.arcangelo-ambrosi.com/five-years-of-pipemaking/#commentsMon, 26 Jun 2017 10:52:18 +0000http://www.arcangelo-ambrosi.com/?p=1126Welcome to my blog! After about five years in the world of pipemaking, I’ve decided to renew my website adding this section to it, in order to tell you about my work and my passion. What happened in these five years? I built my first actually working pipe in October 2012, and it was […]

]]>Welcome to my blog! After about five years in the world of pipemaking, I’ve decided to renew my website adding this section to it, in order to tell you about my work and my passion.

What happened in these five years?

I built my first actually working pipe in October 2012, and it was a little pipe made out of beech and olive burr, with plenty of imperfections.

My first functional pipe

Since I’ve begun making my first churchwarden pipes inspired to Middle Earth’s world, I started receiving several commission orders, so I’ve made my best, studying and experimenting, in order to create longer pipes, refinished and fully efficient.

At the earliest times it happened I had to throw away many pieces of briar and olive I had drilled in the wrong way, and moments of frustration occurred.

But errors must lead to improvement!

Later I’ve started experimenting my first carved pipes; one of these was inspired by a drawing by John Howe, for a discarded concept for “The Hobbit” movies. I published the picture of the pipe I had realized on Weta Workshop page and the admin showed it to John, who commentend this way:

Great satisfaction!

Going forward, I experimented with new shapes (see “pixie” pipe, “floating pipe”, “root pipe”) and customers started making requests for very peculiar pipes (dragons, boars), which I accepted, taking them as challenges.

I’ve made special editions with esthetically stunning pairings of woods, such as churchwardens in flamed root and curly maple, with mother of pearl and abalone dots and cumberland stem-tips.

Lately I’m also working on special editions of my churchwarden pipes, entirely made out of bog oak.

Against my expectations, my sales have spread widely abroad, and I’ve shipped my works in countries I’d never have imagined to.

My search for quality and my being a perfectionist lead me to produce a maximum of 100 pipes a year, but I’m committing myself on the organizational level and I’m buying new tools in order to meet more requests (I’m already working on it).

Amongst my future projects there are the production of more carved pipes, and new designs; also, the use of valuable materials. I’m thinking about a YouTube channel where to put videos in order to show some steps of my work.

My passion is fed by all of you who follow my page, all those people who support me, those who leave comments on my works, and by all the customers that never miss to leave their excellent feedback. I thank you all.